


Obligatory coffee shop au

by Chains_and_Pasta



Category: Saw (Movies)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Teenagers, M/M, One Shot, coffee shop AU
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-08-06
Updated: 2017-08-06
Packaged: 2018-12-11 22:58:01
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,489
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11724339
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Chains_and_Pasta/pseuds/Chains_and_Pasta
Summary: Mark works at a coffee shop that Peter frequents





	Obligatory coffee shop au

After several tries, Mark finally managed to tie his apron in the back, and start the water boiling. The café he worked in, Lava Java, had opened several minutes ago, but because it was so early on a weekend, 5:08am, to be exact, the shop was empty. His co-worker, Dan, had also called off sick that day, so Mark was alone in the dimly lit café.   
The first customer didn’t come in until after 5:20, another nameless zombie who ordered their coffee and left right afterwards. It was like that for a few hours, the only people coming in either being hungover or on the walk of shame.   
The café didn’t actually get busy until around 7 or 8. People on breakfast dates, and white collar workers typing on their computers. Mark silently eyed the couples with slight envy, before turning away and distracting himself with the dishwasher, not wanting his personal affairs to effect his work.   
He didn’t snap out of his trance until the bell on the door chimed. Mark walked over to the left side of the counter to take the customer's order, wiping his hands on a dish towel as he did.   
“Hi, what can I get for you?” Mark said in a half monotone, half fake-cheery voice. He stuffed the towel in his pocket and looked up. A dark haired man stood before Mark with a bitter look on his face. He ordered his drink, a flat white with sugar, and when asked for his name, said, “Peter.” Mark made the drink and handed it to him, looking him up and down once before Peter went to sit down at a table just a few feet away. Well, being it such a small shop, all the tables were only a few feet away from the counter, but Mark felt a slight, unexplained gratefulness that he had a front row seat to watch whatever it was Peter was going to do while he drank his coffee, even if that meant only watching him drink his coffee. Mark didn’t even know he was staring until Peter glanced back at him and gave him a weird look. Mark turned away, embarrassed, and went back to fiddling with the dishes, periodically glancing up at Peter for reasons he couldn’t didn’t want to explain.   
After finishing his coffee, Peter left without a second glance. Mark was weirdly disappointed, but quickly went back to filling all the incoming orders, something that proved difficult when you were the only person working. It was a nice distraction, though. 

The next day, Mark was stuck on the opening shift again. He was irritated, having to get up at 4am on a sunday, but he needed the money (plus it’s not like the thought of seeing Peter again was a bad thing). Dan had also called off again, so Mark was left alone in the café once more.   
The morning was the same as the last one, with drunks and people also on their way to their morning shifts being the only customers. Mark busied himself with cleaning the counter over and over again until it finally got busy around 7:30am.   
Mark got so caught up in serving customer after customer, he didn’t even notice when Peter walked in. The only reason he did notice him is that not many people order ‘a flat white with sugar’. Mark glanced up, fulling expecting to see Peter, and was pleasantly surprised when he did. He made the drink and handed it off to him, watching as he took a seat at one of the empty tables. Mark went back to taking orders, glancing over at Peter whenever he had the chance. But being it a sunday, plenty of obnoxious soccer moms coming in from the church down the street demanded so much attention, Mark didn’t even notice when Peter left. He felt a twinge of sadness, thinking he’d never see the dark-haired stranger again, but at the same time, knew it was stupid to be hung up on someone he’d only seen twice. He went back to working, forgetting about his would be affair. 

Despite working full time at the coffee shop, Mark didn’t see Peter again, and to be honest, he kind of forgot about him. That was until Mark had to work the opening weekend shift again.   
The shop was just starting to get busy, and Mark was in the zone, washing dishes as his co-worker filled orders, when someone else approached the counter. Mark glanced over from his place at the sink, to see Peter, standing there, looking aggravated as usual. Mark jumped at the chance to take his order, almost leaving the faucet running in his rush to get to the counter before his partner did. He made it over there, his partner barely noticing they even had a customer, and said the usual, ‘What can I get you?’ line before their whole routine started again. Peter ordered a flat white (with sugar), and went to sit down and drink it, all while Mark frequented glances over his shoulder to look at him.   
This continued for several weeks before Mark finally decided to say something to him. In a spur of the moment situation, Mark said the first thing that came to mind next time Peter came in to order his coffee.   
“You really don’t like coffee, do you?” Mark said while hitting buttons on the register  
“What’s that supposed to mean?” Peter replied, defensively.   
“I mean, you only ever order a flat white, you must not like the taste of coffee.”   
Peter muttered something under his breath about Mark being a creep before speaking, “well what do you drink then?”  
“A tripplo.”  
“A what?”  
“Ya know, a tripplo, three shots of espresso.”   
“Well fine, I’ll have that, then.”  
“Are you sure?”  
“Yes I’m sure.” Peter snapped back at him.   
Mark made him the drink, and handed it to him, Peter snatched it out of his hands and went to sit down. Mark went back to grinding the coffee beans. He looked back when he was done to see how Peter was liking his drink, and to no surprise he saw Peter pouring four packets of sugar into his cup before taking a sip, grimacing, and putting the cup back down. Mark smiled a little to himself, honestly not expecting anything different. He also noticed that only a few moments later Peter got up to throw his still-full cup away, before walking out of the café. 

Mark didn’t work the weekend shift again for about two weeks.   
When it was his rotation again, he glanced at the clock constantly, waiting for the moment when Peter would arrive. He knew it was stupid, of course, to be so obsessed with a stranger. But it wasn’t affecting his work, so to Mark, there was nothing wrong with his current arrangement.   
When Mark looked at the clock again, it was almost 7:30, which meant Peter would soon come in to get his coffee. For all too long, Mark started ahead, absent mindedly wiping his hands on a dish towel while he daydreamed. It wasn’t until the chime on the door rang, signalling a new customer. Mark immediately snapped out of his trance, and looked to see who it was, and of course, no one other than Peter was walking towards the counter. Mark put the towel down, and also made his way to the counter, getting there the at the same time Peter did.   
“So, one flat white with sugar?” Mark smiled mockingly as Peter glared back at him.   
“Yes.”  
Mark made the drink, and paused as he went to write Peter’s name on it. All the daydreaming had given him some pretty bold ideas, and he decided he might as well act now on them before he missed his chance.  
Peter got his coffee and sat down at one of the tiny tables that littered the shop. He went to take a sip from his cup, when he noticed the extra writing on it. He grumbled, assuming it was a joke about how he hated coffee, but looked at it anyway.   
At the top of the cup it said ‘secret message’ with an arrow pointing down towards the bottom, where part of the warning label had been crossed off to read ‘careful, you’re extremely hot’.   
Mark watched in regret as Peter read the coffee cup given to him, instantly realizing what a stupid idea it was. He knew there was nothing he could do about it now, and tried to go back to drying the dishes, but was far too distracted by how badly he had fucked up. He was even more nervous, however, when Peter approached the pickup counter, slammed the empty cup down, and walked out. Mark hesitantly picked it up, expecting the worst. He turned the cup around to find a phone number scratched into the back.

**Author's Note:**

> this isn't my favorite ship, but I feel like I did an alright job. Also, I'm open to requests


End file.
